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.
He knew the taverns well in every town
And every innkeeper and barmaid too
Better than lepers, beggars and that crew,
For in so eminent a man as he
It was not fitting with the dignity
Of his position dealing with such scum.
It isn t decent, nothing good can come
Of having truck with slum-and-gutter dwellers
But only with the rich and victual-sellers.
But anywhere a profit might accrue
Courteous he was and lowly of service too.
Natural gifts like his were hard to match
He was the finest beggar of his batch
And, for his begging-district, paid a rent;
His brethren did no poaching where he went
For though a widow mightn t have a shoe,
So pleasant was his holy how-d ye-do
He got his farthing from her just the same
Before he left, and so his income came
To more than he laid out
..
This worth s name was Hubert, it appeared.
There was a Merchant with a forking beard
And motley dress,
He told of his opinions the pursuits
In solemn tones, and how he never lost.
The sea should be kept free at any cost
(He thought) upon the Harwich-Holland ranges.
He was expert at dabbling in exchanges.
This estimable merchant so had set
His wits to work, none knew he was in debt,
He was so stately in negotiation,
Loan, bargain and commercial obligation.
He was an excellent fellow all the same;
To tell the truth I do not know his name.
There was an Oxford cleric too, a student
Long given to Logic, longer than was prudent;
The horse he had was leaner than a rake,
And he was not too fat, I undertake,
But had a hollow look, a sober stare;
The thread upon his overcoat was bare.
He had found no Preferment in the church
And he was too unworldly to make search
He thought far more of having by his bed
His twenty books all bound in black and red,
Of Aristotle and philosophy,
Than of gay music, fiddles or finery.
Though a philosopher as I have told,
He had not found the stone for making gold.
Whatever money from his friends he took
He spent on learning or another book
And prayed for them most earnestly returning
Thanks to them thus for paying for his learning.
His only care was study, and indeed
He never spoke a word more than was need,
Formal at that, respectful in the extreme,
Short, to the point, and lofty in his theme.
The thought of moral virtue filled his speech.
And he would gladly learn, and gladly teach.
.
Glossary
Zephyrus (in Greek mythology)
palmer
pilgrim who returns from the holy land with palm
branch or palm leaf, itinerant monk
shire
county
Canterbury
town in the Soth East of England (Kent) with old
gothic cathedral erected in the 12-th century
wend (archaic)
go
Southwark
country of Surrey
The Tabard
the knight s garment worn over armour; herald s coat
. The Tabard was the sign of the inn where the pilgrims met
hostelry
inn
array (poetical)
dress, outfit
apparel (archaic)
dress, clothing
fustian
cadet
young son
lowly
humble, modest
yeoman
independent farmer
gear
equipment
woodcraft
prioress
St. Loy
St. Louis
seemly
becoming
Strattford-at-Bowe
London
withal (archaic)
moreover
courtliness
refined manners
sedately
calmly
abbot
aya
always
uncloistered
out of monastery
Austin
England to Christianity
lover s knot
prelate
palfrey
limiter
Four Orders
monastic orders
at shrift (archaic)
absolution
penance
tippet
muffler
scum
might accrue
lowly
humble, modest
Harwick, Harwich
e Netherlands
ranges
direction
exchanges
exchange of goods
preferement
atters
at that moreover,
haberdasher
livery
guild
gear
equipment, clothing
avouches
guarantees
pouch
burgess
citizen
alderman
revenue
income
magic effigies
humour
(unscientific) one of the four fluids of man s bod
y determining his physical and mental qualities
apothecary
chemist
goodish while
long time
Ypres
industry
ground
pound
0,453 kg
hose
stockings
forsooth
Boulogne
Cologne
a church in Spain
ambling horse
ether, Romanian in buiestru
wimpled up
(covering of linen) worn by nuns, formerly also
by women about head, cheeks and chin
mantle loose,
sleevless cloak
(16) stone
brawn
muscle
heave
lift
(heavy things)
gauge
measure exactly
bagpipes
pardoner
s
Charing Cross
hang of flax
coil of flaxyarn
driblets
small quantity
mode
fashion
gelding
castrate
Berwick Berwick-on-Tweed,
ware
gobbet (archaic)
piece
rubble
waste fragments
up-country
preverication
evasive speech
girth
marshal (here)
ns
cheapside
pageants and sports